Charles Cohen, manager of the Jewish Day School Affordability Knowledge Center, shares some of what he has learned over the last year about what should be done to attain affordability for Jewish Day Schools.

He writes:
"I have spent the last nine months immersed in day school affordability. I eat it, I drink it, I sleep in it. I’ve learned more about the heroic efforts of schools and communities as they try to balance the financial needs of their families with the need to invest in academic excellence so those families will be proud of their sacrifice. After researching Kehillah Funds, middle-income strategies, blended learning, endowments, and other models, some lessons jump out that I think are crucial not just for day schools to remember, but for any organization that hopes to make a lasting impact on Jewish identity without kneecapping participants’ financial well-being.

We need more data.

We cannot stop looking at affordability from every angle.

We cannot stop innovating.

We cannot stop collaborating.

No one hits 1.000. No one makes money on every deal. But as a wise man once said, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. And there are too many Jewish boys and girls who will not have the opportunity to go to day school, or overnight camp, or to Israel. And perhaps even worse, there are too many mothers and fathers who don’t understand why that is a shandeh (or who don’t know what a shandeh is). We cannot stop trying. So let’s do it together."